How to cure a girl of Dracophobia
by FanOfDragons
Summary: While on a routine dragon rescue mission, Hiccup, his friends, as well as Valka and Eret, make a shocking surprise, that will not only reveal just how cruel the men of Drago Bludvist's army can be, but will also bring out the best of humanity in the riders. Rated T for recounts of torture and blood.
1. Prologue

**Hey y'all! So, this idea came to me while I was looking up info about the upcoming "Rescue Riders" series and thought it'd be a great fanfic idea! Hope you enjoy this short prologue. I will work on the rest of the story whenever I can.**

 **Prologue**

 _Let me start of by stating my name. My name is Hiccup Haddock. Chief of Berk, slayer of the Red Death, and Dragon Rider to the only Night Fury in existence. You are probably wondering why I'm writing this. Well, I want to keep this recent experience of mine close, as proof that anyone, with the proper care, treatment, and even some careful wording, can change. Allow me to fill you in from the start. After we defeated Drago Bloodvist and his Bewilderbeast, my mother, Valka, decided that we should be taught how to rescue dragons from the hands of Dragon Hunters, trappers, and bounty hunters alike. Our training began a few weeks after Drago's attack, and the team consisted of the original dragon riders; myself, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, as well as my mother and Eret, who now rides my dad's dragon, a Rumblehorn named Skullcrusher. Our goal is simple: Search and free dragons who are trapped by Drago's men and other Dragon Hunters alike. We started out sloppy, even getting scolded by my mother a few times about it, but over time, we got better and better and the rescues became more and more routine. This one mission, three months after our first, was different. I have seen cruel things done to dragons. But what these "men" did to a little human girl, no older than 7, named Riley, is nothing short of inhumane. But, what happens after we rescued her, that will truly live on in my memory forever. This, is how we were able to cure a girl, of Dracophobia._

 **Hope you guys like this little introduction to the story! I will work on actual chapters of the story soon, just wanted to give you guys a little idea on what this story will revolve around!**


	2. Chapter 1: Dragon turned Human Rescue

**Here comes the first chapter! Choo-Choo!**

 **Chapter 1: Dragon Rescue turned Human Rescue**

 _Somewhere out in sea_

Near darkness.

That is all she could see. Only two barely lit torches gave her light inside the cold room. Ever since she was taken from her village by Drago's men, she has not felt the sun's warm rays against her skin, only deep, bleeding cuts from agitated dragons. Left alone, chained up against a wall, all she could do was wait for the next dragon to emerge from the cage across from her, and come straight at her in a fit of blind rage, while the men outside the cage watch and laugh. She has endured this treatment for two weeks, and she prays, that someone will come to save her soon.

 _Berk_

As the sun is beginning to set on the small island, there were a group of dragon riders out in the water, practicing their arial combat.

"Spine Shot girl!" Astrid commanded to her Deadly Nadder dragon, Stormfly. The dragon complied, and shot spikes from her tail at the mast of a dingy. Before they could reach the ship though, Tuffnut and Ruffnut on Barf and Belch, shot flames at the spikes, flaming them up right before they hit the mast. While that was going on, Snotlout was on Hookfang, who body is flamed up, as the dragon launched waves of flames on multiple ships. Turns out, when a Monstrous Nightmares' body is lit on fire, the heat from their flames they launch are doubled. Finally, Eret was on Stoick's old dragon, Skullcrusher, practicing battering ram techniques on ships, working like a charm. Suddenly, they hear the familiar roar of a Night Fury. They turn and see Hiccup, in his Night Fury armor, along with his mother, riding her Stormcutter dragon, Cloudjumper.

"Ok guys." Hiccup announced. "We have a golden opportunity here. The A-Team found a fleet of Drago's ships a few miles away from Berk. Five of them in total, one a Capital ship. Let's go and free those dragons before nightfall."

Soon, the riders all started their way towards the last known location of the fleet.

"I wonder what kind of dragons we are gonna free today!" Fishlegs said, in an excited state.

"Well, there should be some high value dragons on that Capital ship." Astrid responded.

"Which is why that Capital ship will be our highest priority." Valka added.

"Agreed." Hiccup said. "So, for this mission, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, you guys will provide cover fire and free the dragons from the smaller ships. Fishlegs, you direct the freed dragons away from the battle. Me, Eret, and my mother will board the Capital ship and free the dragons on board."

They all nodded and soon, the ships were in sight.

"All right bud, show them what you got!" Hiccup proclaimed as Toothless shot a fireball at the Capital ship.

"Dragons incoming!" One of the men aboard the ship shouted. Soon the other men aboard the ship started taking their battle positions, arming the bloa cannons and aiming them directly at the Night Fury.

"Aim….and…" The commander said before he was suddenly interrupted by a Stormcutter, slicing the cannon the shreds with his wings.

"You will not capture anymore dragons!" Valka shouted behind her mask. She and Cloudjumper began disarming the men by destroying their cannons, crossbows and their swords. Now defenseless, the hunters could only stare in shock, as they looked around to witness their fleet being taken down and dragons they worked so hard to capture, being freed by the other dragon riders.

"Now Eret, if you please." Valka said aloud.

"With pleasure." Eret responded. Confused the hunters turned around, only to be met with the sight of a speeding Rumblehorn, who then turned to the side and used his tail like a bat, and knocked all the grouped-up hunters off the ship.

"Send my regards to Drago if he ever comes to save your sorry asses." Eret shouted to the now drenched hunters, struggling to stay afloat.

"Good job guys, lets go free those dragons." Hiccup said, as he and Toothless landed aboard the ship, heading below deck with Valka and Eret, while the dragons stayed on deck, in case any hunter had the wise idea of climbing back aboard. Once below deck, the three began freeing the dragons from their cages.

"So…" Valka started before Hiccup quietly groaned.

"Don't ask please mom." Hiccup responded.

"You know I got to son. You should really consider proposing to Astrid. You've been together for almost 3 years now, why not tie the knot?" Valka said. "Even Eret is going out with Ruffnut." Hiccup did a double take on that before looking over to Eret.

"Is that true?" Hiccup questioned, a small grin on his face. Eret responded with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I am. She's actually not that bad. A little bit rambunctious, but nothing this man can't handle." Eret then started to walk down another corridor, freeing those dragons, which included a Skrill.

'A Skrill?' Eret thought to himself. 'Must've been really hard to catch that one'. He continued to free the last of the dragons, and before he left to regroup with Hiccup and Valka, something caught his eyes. A hallway, that lead to a room. He walked in and saw multiple tables and chairs and a metal bar filled window that faced an open, circle shaped room, with a five bar door on one side and what would be on the other would shock him to his core.

"Chief! Valka! You got to see this now!" Eret shouted. Hiccup and Valka quickly appeared and they took looked inside the room. What they witnessed was a horrific sight. A small human child, with skin colors similar to that of the 3 Vikings, with long brown hair, lying against the floor, with a huge chain against her stomach to keep her from getting to far from the wall. She was covered with dried up blood on her arms and legs from what looked like dragon talon scratches. She barley opened her eyes and looked at the 3 strangers that were now in the viewing room.

"Help….me….please" she muttered, in a voice that would make even the toughest men's heart break.

"She's still alive." Valka whispered. Without a moment to lose, the three dashed out of the room and back into the hallway, and looked towards the end of the hallway, where there was a large metallic door with a lock on it.

"Mom!" Hiccup shouted.

"Already ahead of you son!" Valka responded, using her staff to break the lock. Once the lock was broken, they went inside a narrow hallway, with a 5 bar gate at the end. Hiccup found the lever that controls the gate, and pushed it up, lifting the gate upwards. The 3 then ran as fast as they could to the little girl and they worked on getting the chain off her stomach. Once the chain was off, the girl jumped and wrapped her arms around Hiccup tightly, sobbing and repeatingly saying, "Thank You" to the young Viking chief.

"Shhhhh. It's ok." Hiccup said quietly, wrapping his arms around the sobbing child. "It's ok. You're safe now. We are not going to hurt you." After a few minutes, the girl eventually stopped crying, wiping the tears off her face. She then ran over and hugged Valka and Eret, thanking them as well.

"Let's get you out of here." Valka said, leading the 4 out of the room.

"What's your name?" Hiccup asked the girl.

"Riley." She said quietly. Hiccup smiled

"That's a pretty name." he replied. The girl giggled and responded with another "Thank You."

"How old are you?" Valka asked. Riley then responded by raising 7 fingers.

"You're only seven?!" Eret exclaimed. The girl nodded shyly. Valka then walked over and held her close to her side.

"Ohhhh, you poor thing." Valka said in a soft tone. "Don't worry, you're safe with us."

They soon made it to the deck of the ship, their dragons patiently waiting. Once Riley caught sight of the dragons, she reacted in a way that surprised the riders and the dragons. She shrieked in fear and quickly hid behind Hiccup, hyperventilating and closing her eyes tightly. Valka and Eret looked at Hiccup in confusion, with a confused look on his face as well, until they put two and two together.

"Hiccup…" Valka started.

"I know mom." Hiccup said. "I started to wonder that myself when I saw all the dragon scratches on her. But this all but confirms it: she has Dracophobia."

 **Cliffhanger ending! HAHAHA! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This and the next chapter will be pretty dark, in regard to Riley's backstory, as to how she ended up on the ship. After those, the story will get much more lighthearted. Reviews would be very much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 2: Inhuman Acts

**Heya guys! Here comes Chapter 2! Warning, this chapter will get pretty dark.**

 **Chapter 2: Inhuman Acts**

Riley was still in a state of panic, hiding behind Hiccup, scared to even see the dragons in front of the group. The three dragons all tilted their heads in confusion to the situation that is unfolding in front of them. Hiccup then turned around and kneeled to the height of Riley and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Riley." Hiccup said in a stern, but calm voice. "You can still hide behind us, but I need you to relax. Breath in…and out. In…and out." He said, breathing in a calming way. Soon, Riley followed him and she began to breath normally again, but still keeping her eyes closed, hiding and wrapping her arm around Hiccups leg. Suddenly, the group of 4 heard the familiar sound of a Deadly Nadder squawk and that was enough to send Riley running away and hiding back inside the ship.

"Riley wait!" Valka shouted, but Riley was too scared to listen as she ran below deck. Hiccup, Eret, and Valka then turned to see the other dragon riders land.

"Guys, what was that all about? Who's Riley?" Astrid asked.

"She's a kid that we found below decks in what looked like some sort of torture room." Hiccup replied somberly. "She's only 7 years old." The other riders slightly gasped.

"Those damn hunters…" Snotlout said in an angry tone.

"Who would do such a thing to a child?" Fishlegs added.

"Duh…Drago's hunters. Isin't that obvious?" Tuffnut said, who was met with glares from all the dragon riders, including Valka and Eret.

"So, what's the plan, chief?" Eret asked Hiccup. Hiccup thought it over until he formulated a plan.

"Ok, so first things first, we are not going to be flying home." Hiccup stated.

The younger riders groaned at that statement, which was meant with a glare from Hiccup.

"Why can't we?" Snotlout asked.

"Because I'm pretty sure Riley has Dracophobia. She must've gotten it when she was down there for Thor knows how long. She had dragon scratches all over her body." Hiccup responded. The other dragon riders had solemn looks on their faces and nodded in understanding.

"Ok. Eret, do you think you can sail this ship back to Berk?" Hiccup asked the former dragon trapper.

"It's been a while since I've been aboard these kind of ships, but I'll do my best." Eret said, as he ran off to direct the sails of the ship to lead them back to Berk.

"Mom, can you go and tell the village not to fire on us when we arrive?" Hiccup added. Valka nodded.

"Toothless, come over here." The Night Fury and alpha to the dragons on Berk quickly came over to Hiccups side.

"I need you to tell all the dragons on Berk with riders to stay in their riders' homes or in the hanger if they can't fit, and the ones without riders to hide in the forest. Wait for me in your space in the dragon hanger once that's done. Can you do that bud?" Hiccup asked his Night Fury friend, making sure to lock the tail fin open so Toothless can fly back solo. The dragon gave Hiccup a stern nod. "Can you tell the village about that too mom?"

"Of course, son." Valka responded. Hiccup nodded "Make sure the healer is awake too." He added, and then he turned to face the other riders.

"If any of you want to fly back now…" Hiccup was then interrupted by Astrid.

"I think it'd be best to stay here. For Riley's sake. She looks like she could really use some comfort." Astrid said.

"I'm staying as well." Fishlegs added.

"Us too." The twins said simultaneously.

"Same here." Snotlout stated as well. Hiccup smiled.

"Ok guys. I'm going to go look for Riley. Search the ship for any firewood. We're probably going to need it for the next hour or so." Hiccup finished. The other riders then dispersed in search of said supplies aboard the ship.

"I'm coming too." Astrid said. Hiccup smiled as the two went below deck in search of the Riley. Toothless gave out a roar to the other dragons, letting them know of the plan, while Valka mounted Cloudjumper and took off, following the other dragons back to Berk.

 _Below Deck_

"Riley! Where are you?!" Hiccup shouted as he and Astrid searched below the deck of ship, with still no sign of the 7 year old girl. Soon however, they began to hear sounds of heavy breathing and faint crying. They walked slowly and found the girl, curled against a wall. Hiccup slowly kneeled down on both his knees, sitting in front of her.

"Hey…Ri..." Hiccup began until he was interrupted by Riley quickly hugging him and crying out a few more tears in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the girl and slowly rocked her from side to side, in an effort to help calm her down. Astrid watched, trying to contain her own tears from the sight.

'I swear, those hunters are going to pay for what they did to this poor girl.' Astrid thought to herself. Soon, Riley let go and looked at Hiccup.

"A-a-are the d-d-d-dr-dragons g-g-gone?" Riley asked, in a scared tone.

"Yeah. Don't worry. They are gone." Hiccup responded in a calm and collected voice. Riley took a few deep breaths before calming down and then looking up and facing Astrid.

"Who are you?" She asks the blonde Viking.

"My name's Astrid. And If you don't know already, his name is Hiccup." Astrid responded. Riley then giggled and then look at the young man.

"Hiccup?" Riley asked, still giggling while asking. Hiccup smirked and chuckled.

"Yup. That's my name. Not as impressive as Astrid, is it?" Hiccup said.

"But more funny!" Riley added, her giggles slowing down until they were no more, all the while Hiccup was smiling.

"What do you say we head on back to the top of the ship, huh?" Astrid asked the little girl. Riley nodded and soon the 3 were walking together, heading back above deck. Once they left the bottom of the ship, the sky was now dark, and filled with stars, with a cool breeze as the ship is sailing back to the riders' home. The other riders, besides Eret, who was busy controlling the ship, were all gathered around a small campfire made of a few pieces of firewood. They turned and noticed Hiccup and Astrid approaching with Riley, and so they quickly made room around the fire for the three. They all sat down around the fire for a few awkward seconds of silence until Hiccup broke said silence.

"Riley." Hiccup started, the girl turning her head towards him. "I'd like you to meet my friends, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut." The riders all waved at Riley's direction and after Hiccup finished stating the names of the other riders, Riley went into a fit of giggles.

"You all have funny names!" Riley commented, the riders, surprisingly not offended, but instead, small smirks formed on their faces, watching the child laugh. Fishlegs then approached the girl, who immediately tensed up.

"It's ok." Fishlegs said. "I just want to check the scratches on your arms and legs. I won't hurt you. I promise." Riley slowly nodded and then let Fishlegs look over the various cuts on the girl.

"There are some pretty bad dragon cuts here, Hiccup." Fishlegs told the chief. "Monsterous Nightmare, Razordwhip, and…." Fishlegs then trailed off.

"And what, Fishlegs?" Astrid asked.

"Skrill." Fishlegs responded. The riders' eyes widened after he spoke that name. Hiccup then looked over at Riley.

"Ok, Riley." Hiccup started, the little girl turning to face the young chief. "I need you to tell us how you ended up on this ship…We only want to help you, you can trust us." He then smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. Astrid did the same and nodded when Riley faced her. The little girl took a deep breath before beginning her story.

"It all started when my village was attacked by those bad people you saved me from 2 weeks ago. They came to our village looking for dragons. Our village defend, but don't ride dragons. The bad people wanted to capture the dragons and sell them, but our chief and chieftess, my dad and mom, refused to let the dragons go. They fought, but lost. The bad people did not kill my parents, but they took all the dragons and other villagers as prisoners, including me." Riley's voice slowly began to crack, but she fought through and kept going. "The villagers were forced to work, but once they realized I was the chief's daughter, they wanted to do something 'special' about me." Her voice is becoming more and more sad, but in an effort to be brave in front of her rescuers, she continued. "They brought me…to this dark room…and…chained me to the wall. They'd leave me alone in there and once a day, they'd bring in an upset dragon…and…and…" At that point she could not fight it anymore. She hugged Hiccup once again and began crying hard into his night fury armor. He hugged her back, the other riders watching with somber faces. Riley then tried to continue. "They'd…ch-chain the dragon agai-nst the wall, b-but not tight enough to ke-keep it out of reach of m-me. They'd cha-charge at me and…" she stopped trying to explain as she cried harder and harder.

"Shhhhh. You don't to tell us anymore. We understand." Hiccup said, as he held onto the crying girl tightly. Soon, Astrid joined in and wrapped her arms around her to help give the traumatized girl some much needed comfort. Then Fishlegs. Then the twins and eventually, Snotlout, joined in the embrace. Eret, finally able to catch a break from controlling the ship, looked and watched as the riders all huddled around Riley. He smiled.

'I am so glad I changed sides. I would never want to be a part of a group of people who would think that torturing children is ok.' Eret thought to himself, as he looked onto the horizon, spotting a familiar island.

Meanwhile, the riders continued to hug Riley until they eventually, broke the embrace, when Riley finally stopped crying.

"We promise you Riley." Astrid said, looking right into the eyes of the little girl. "Those dragons you saw, are not going to hurt you anymore. We will protect you until we can find your mommy and daddy and bring you back to your home."

Riley looked at Astrid. "Promise?" She asks.

"I promise." Astrid responded.

"We promise." Hiccup added, the other riders nodding in agreement.

"Aye!" Eret shouted, getting the attention of the riders. "We should be arriving back in Berk really soon!" The riders looked ahead of them and spotted their home island ahead, with no sign of dragons in the sky.

'Good job you guys.' Hiccup thought to himself, making a mental note for himself to get Toothless a huge basket of fish once they get home.

"I'm going to your home island?" Riley asked openly.

"Yeah." Hiccup responded. "Until we find your parents, you can stay in my hut with my mom. Is that ok with you?" Riley nodded. Hiccup smiled as he and the other dragon riders looked onto the horizon, staring at their island home.

 **Chapter 2 done! Told you it was going to be dark! Now, the story will only get more lighthearted from here on out! Already have an outline for the chapter names for this story to help make the chapter writing easier and thus, updates more frequent! Reviews would be greatly appreciated! Until next time, fellow Dragonites!**


	4. Chapter 3: Berk Ho!

**Heyo everybody! It'sa me, movielover48, bringing you another chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 3: Berk Ho!**

The ship the riders have commandeered is now minutes away from reaching Berk. With the firewood burned out, Snotlout tossed the burnt wood overboard. Meanwhile, Hiccup was explaining to Riley what they are going to do once they make port.

"So, Riley." Hiccup started in a soft tone. "When we dock, we are going to take you to a healer and get those nasty cuts taken care of."

"Can you come with me?" Riley asked the young chief.

Hiccup smiled. "Of course."

"Do you mind if I tag along as well?" Astrid asked the two.

"That's fine with me! Is that ok with you Riley?" Hiccup said.

Riley nodded and smirked a little when Astrid came over and ruffled the little girl's hair. They then faced forward, seeing the dock slowly coming into view.

 _On the port_

Valka, Gobber, and the healer on the island, Svanhild, waiting on the deck.

"All the dragons are hidden away, right?" Valka asks Gobber.

"Yes, and I made sure there were Vikings inside the hanger to make sure the dragons don't try and escape." Gobber responded. Valka nodded and soon, the commandeered Capital ship made it to port. Valka and Gobber hoisted a plank and brought it to the side of the ship and soon, the riders started walking down, the last ones being Hiccup, Astrid, and Riley, holding onto both of the dragon riders' hands as they walk down to meet the healer.

"Svanhild, I need you to check out the cuts on Riley. She's pretty banged up." Hiccup told the healer. Svanhild bent down to Riley's level and shot her a smile.

"Hello Riley." Svanhild said in a sweet and calm voice. Riley waved timidly to her in response. "Would you like to get rid of all those nasty cuts?" the healer asked.

"Yes...please." Riley replied quietly, still shy.

"Then just follow me." Svanhild got back on her feet and lead the girl to her hut.

"You guys get some rest." Hiccup told the other riders. "It's been a long night." The other riders then dispersed and returned to their homes, with the exception of Astrid, who is following Hiccup to Svanhild's hut. The two dragon riders took multiple glances around the village, making sure there was not a stray dragon still in the village. Luckily, all the dragons were either in their riders' huts, the hanger, or in the forest. Soon, they finally arrived at Svanhild's hut.

"Take a seat over there, Riley." Svanhild told the little girl, pointing to a wooden bed. Riley sat down on said bed, with Hiccup and Astrid sitting right next to the bed. Svanhild then walked up to Riley.

"May I see your arms, dear?" she askes the little girl. Riley then held out her arms for Svanhild to look at. She looked at each cut carefully.

"Oh my. These are some bad cuts. And these all came from dragons?" Svanhild asks Riley. She nods, looking down.

"We found her in some sort of torture arena on a ship during a dragon rescue mission." Hiccup told the healer. "Drago's men brought in agitated dragons into the arena, and they'd use her as a living scratching post."

Svanhild gasped at hearing that. She never heard of anyone being so malicious, especially to a child. "Oh my gods." She exclaimed. "How long were you in there?" she askes Riley.

"I think…two…weeks." She responds, still looking down and frowning. Now, it was Hiccup and Astrids turn to gasp.

"Two weeks?" Hiccup asks again. Riley nodded. Astrid then walked over, sat on the bed next to Riley, and hugged the little girl.

"Oh…I'm so sorry that happened to you." Astrid told Riley in a sincere voice. Riley smiled a little and hugged Astrid back. They broke the embrace once Svanhaild, came back with the medical equipment needed to fix the cuts.

"Ok, now this is going to sting and burn at first." Svanhild told Riley. The little girl immediately tensed up, but then Astrid wrapped an arm around her shoulder, with Hiccup walking over and taking a seat next to Riley.

"Don't worry. We're right here if you need us." Hiccup said, with Astrid joining in for the last sentence. Riley felt more comfortable with the two by her side and nodded towards Svanhild. She nodded back and took out a rag from a bucket of warm water and added some soap. She rubbed the rag against the cuts to clean the dried blood from her skin. Throughout the whole time, Riley was holding Hiccup and Astrid's hand.

"So Riley, do you remember the name of your tribe?" Hiccup asked.

"I…can't remember. I'm sorry." Riley responded.

"It's ok, no need to be sorry." Astrid added. "We understand."

After Svanhild was done cleaning the blood with soap and water, she then took out some antibacterial liquid and applied it to a new rag.

"Now, here comes the stinging part." Svanhild warned. Riley had a nervous look on her face before both Hiccup and Astrid each wrapped an arm around her, reassuring her that everything will be fine. Svanhild then pressed the rag against the cuts, and she was right, it did sting! Riley fought back tears, and buried her head in Hiccup's shoulder, the young chief wrapping his other arm around her head, Astrid stroking Riley's hair. Soon, Svanhild was finished. "There, all done." She said.

Riley's breathing went back to normal as soon as she heard those words. Svanhild then wrapped bandages around her arms and legs.

"Now, come by and see me once a day so I can replace the bandages, ok?" Riley nodded and jumped off the bed, with Hiccup and Astrid standing up as well.

"Hey Astrid, can you take Riley to my hut? I'm gonna speak with Svanhild for just a moment." Hiccup asked his girlfriend.

"Sure. Let's go Riley." Astrid said, offering her hand for the little girl to hold. Riley took it and soon, they both exited the hut, leaving Hiccup alone with Svanhild.

"Can you tell me what kind of dragons cut her?" Hiccup asked.

"There were numerous cuts on her from dragons, from Nightmares, to Nadders, so mostly dragons that reside here on the island." Svanhild replied. Hiccup nodded. "Why you ask, chief?". There was a long silence until Svanhild broke it again. "Don't tell me she has…"

"Yeah, she has Dracophobia." Hiccup interrupted.

"You know it's not safe for her here." Svanhild told Hiccup in a stern voice. "This island is literally the dragon capital of the world. And the dragons cannot stay where they are now for long."

"I know, Svanhild." Hiccup responded. "She's just staying until we can find her tribe. Planning on sending Astrid and my mother out to find the tribe."

"Ok chief." Svanhild said. Hiccup nodded and left the hut.

 _Hiccup's Hut_

Soon, Hiccup arrived back, to see Astrid, Valka, and Riley, now in new clothes, leading the little girl toward a makeshift bed near the fireplace.

"What's going to happen to me?" Riley asked the three.

"Well, you're going to be staying with us for a few days. Until we can find your parents." Hiccup said, walking towards the bed, knelling down to meet eye level with Riley. "And we're going to do everything we can to find them." Astrid added.

"Now get some rest, little one. You've had a long day." Valka said in a soft voice. As if on que, Riley yawned, opened her arms out, wanting a hug. Valka leaned down first, then Astrid, then finally Hiccup. "Thank you for saving me." Riley spoke softly.

"You're welcome." Hiccup said in an equally soft voice and soon, the little girl was sound asleep. Hiccup took in a huge breath and sat in his chair, Astrid and Valka sitting in theirs around the table.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to send you two out to find Riley's village." Hiccup told Astrid and Valka. "I'll make sure to give you my map to make it easier."

"Why aren't you coming with us, son?" Valka asked.

"Yeah, you and Toothless are the fastest." Astrid added.

"Because, I'm going to help Riley overcome her Dracophobia." Hiccup said, the two women in the room widening their eyes.

"You know that's going to be a tough task, even for you." Astrid said.

"True, but when dragons first came to this island nearly 6 years ago, there were some villagers that had the same intense fear as Riley." Hiccup said, gesturing to the little girl, sound asleep in the bed. "Over time and with help from the other villagers, they overcame that fear. I intend to do the same for Riley."

"But son, no one has had a case of Dracophobia as serious as Riley." Valka responded.

"I know. Even Svanhild said that the dragon cuts came from dragons that live on this island." Hiccup said, groaning and ruffling his hair in stress. Astrid walked over and place her hand on his shoulder.

"Babe, even with the odds are stackted against you, I have confidence in you. But this plan, has to be the smartest and most well thought out plan you ever made." Astrid said.

"Thank you for that swell of confidence, M'lady." Hiccup responded, sarcastically at that last comment. Astrid smirked and then kissed him on the cheek. "I got to get going. I'll see you in the morning, babe!" Astrid then walked out of Hiccups hut, heading back to her own, leaving only Hiccup and Valka.

"I think I have an idea for what step one of my plan is going to be." Hiccup said, Valka looking at her son with interest. "Since the cuts on her came from more of the common dragons on this island, we should try introducing her to one that she has never or barley seen."

"Like Toothless?" Valka asked. Hiccup looked back at her, hand resting on chin.

"That can work." Hiccup replied. "She only saw Toothless for a split second, and he is generally the friendliest dragon on the island."

"Just be careful when you do introduce her to him." Valka commented. "You know how much energy that Night Fury has stored in him. Too much released at once could make Riley's Dracophobia even worse."

"I know." Hiccup nodded, walking towards a pair of large doors against the floor. "Which is why I'm going to talk to him about it right now." Hiccup then opened the door, revealing a manmade cavern.

"I'll be back in a few minutes!" Hiccup told his mom before walking down the cavern.

 _Dragon Hanger_

After the Battle of Berk, the villagers decided to make the hanger on the edge of the island bigger to fit the now increased dragon population. At special request by Hiccup, they built a separate area in the hanger specifically for Toothless, whenever he needs to blow off steam. Inside his section of the hanger, was a stone bed, a fish dispenser, and finally, an open cavern that leads straight to Hiccups Hut in case he ever wanted to go his best friend's house, or for emergencies. Currently, he was laying on his stone bed, trying to get some shut eye, until he heard the familiar footsteps of his rider. He suddenly got up and walked towards the cavern, seeing Hiccup walking towards him. Toothless bounded over to Hiccup and pressed his head against Hiccup's chest, the dragon rider wrapping his arms around the Night Fury's head.

"Good to see you too, bud." Hiccup said softly. They soon broke the embrace. "Bud, going to need you to listen closely." Toothless then looked at Hiccup, curious as to what he is about to say.

"Remember that girl on the ship we found?" Hiccup asked. The Night Fury nodded his head. "Ok, because tomorrow, I'm going to properly introduce her to you. She's still really scared of dragons, so I need you to be really patient with her. Can you do that for me, Toothless?"

The Night fury let out a nod and a huff, understanding what his best friend said. Hiccup smiled and nodded. He then started to walk out, with Toothless following.

"No, sorry bud." Hiccup told the dragon, sticking his hand out. "You have to stay in the hanger. Riley, the little girl I mentioned, is in my hut tonight, and I want to wait until morning to introduce her to you, understand?" Toothless let out a soft warble, understanding why Hiccup does not want him in the hut. Hiccup walked over and rubbed Toothless' head. "Good night, bud." The response to that sentence was a face full of dragon slobber, courtesy of Toothless.

"Bud…..You know that does not wash out!" Hiccup groaned, wiping off the sticky slobber on his face, Toothless laughing his dragon laugh. "Yeah, yeah, real mature, oh great and powerful alpha." Hiccup then walked back towards his hut, while Toothless walked back to his stone slab, both heading off to get some much-needed rest.

 **There ya go guys! Tried to make the treatment of the cuts as realistic as possible, so yeah. Also, as a sign note, I have Hiccup giving Astrid and Valka his map of the archipelago because he's only been chief for a few months, plus he had to deal with getting Berk repaired, so he's most likely not visited all the islands with tribes yet. Hopefully that clears it up. Anyway, will be working on the next chapter soon! Reviews very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 4: The First Step

**Heyo! Here comes Chapter 4, where the treatment for Riley begins!**

 **Chapter 4: The First Step**

 _Berk_

It was as peaceful as a morning as it could get. Sun rising on yet another clear day on Berk and for the first time in a while, Hiccup's Night Fury did not jump on the roof wanting to get an early morning flight.

Hiccup eyes fluttered open once he heard a knock on the door of his hut.

"Hang on, I'm coming." Hiccup said in a groggy voice, still tired after the long night he had last night. He glanced over and saw his mother already awake, getting ready for the long mission ahead, while Riley was sleeping peacefully on the extra bed.

"Morning son." She greeted him.

"Morning mom." He greeted back, yawning shortly after finishing his sentence. He opened the door and it was Astrid, wearing her Nadder armor, with the village hustling and bustling behind her, minus the dragons, since they are still confined to their riders' homes or the hanger.

"Morning babe." Astrid said, kissing the chief on the cheek.

"Morning m'lady." Hiccup replied, moving aside so Astrid can come in.

"So, are you all set Valka?" Astrid asked.

"Yes. I got us food, water, and the map of the archipelago." Valka said, holding each item up with her hand and putting them away in a satchel.

"Remember, once you've found Riley's parents, send me a terror mail as soon as you can." Hiccup said, whistling and soon Sharpshot landed on his shoulder. He then made a series of whistles and soon, Sharpshot landed on Valka's shoulder.

"We'll hopefully be back in a few days son." Valka said, with Astrid in tow.

"Be safe out there you two." Hiccup commented.

"We'll be fine." Astrid responded softly, kissing Hiccup before both walking out and closing the door behind them. As soon as they left, Hiccup let out a small sigh and walked over to his chair and ate the soup that was set out for him by his mother, another bowl still warm for Riley whenever she woke up. Soon after he started eating, Riley began stirring and waking up.

"Morning Riley." Hiccup said to her.

"Morning Hiccup." Riley said, as she yawned and stretched her arms out. She soon took a set, next to Hiccup and started to eat as well.

"Did you sleep well?" Hiccup asked.

"Sorta. I had some bad dreams." Riley said, looking downwards. Hiccup placed his hand on top of hers.

"Was it about those dragons on that ship hurting you?" Hiccup asked. Riley nodded and then he took hold of her hand. "Don't worry. Those dragons that hurt you are long gone. They won't hurt you ever again, ok?"

"Ok." Riley said, squeezing Hiccup's hand. The chief smiled.

"Now hurry up and eat. Got a big day planned for the two of us." Hiccup said. Soon, the two ate the soup, and after a few minutes doing other chores, they were both all set.

"All right Riley, follow me." Hiccup told the girl, as he opened the doors on the floor that lead to Toothless' spot in the hanger. He dropped down first, then helped Riley down as well.

"Where are we going Hiccup?" Riley asked curiously.

"We are going to meet a good friend of mine." Hiccup said calmly.

"Is it a dragon?" Riley asked with a now more nervous tone. Hiccup stopped for a few seconds before turning around and kneeling down to her.

"Yes." Hiccup replied. "I'm going to introduce you to my dragon." Riley immediately tensed up, making quiet whimpering sounds and eyes widening. Soon though, she felt two hands, one on each of her shoulders.

"But listen." Hiccup started. "My dragon, is the friendliest dragon you will ever meet. Whenever he's in a good mood, he'd never even hurt a fly." Riley still looked as tense as she was when he first mentioned the word dragon, so he changed tactics.

"Look, all I ask is that you give him a chance. He's been pretty lonely over the past few days, since I've been really busy and he could really use a new friend. I'll be right beside you the whole time. I won't let anything get out of hand. Ok?" Hiccup finished and noticed that Riley did calm down a bit, still slightly tense.

"Promise you'll be right next to me?" Riley asked timidly.

"Absolutely, I promise to all the gods in Valhalla." Hiccup responded. Riley took a deep breath.

"Ok, I'll give him a chance." Riley said bravely. Hiccup smiled. "Good, that's all I ask." He said calmly, as the two soon began walking together to the hanger.

 _Dragon Hanger: Toothless' Quarters_

Soon, Hiccup and Riley both arrived near the end of the cavern. Hiccup stopped Riley.

"Ok, I'm going to see if he's awake. Stay right here and don't move." He told the little girl, to which she nodded. Hiccup then started walking forward and found Toothless awake, and at the fish dispenser, filling his mouth with tasty salmon and cod.

"See someone is getting their hearty breakfast." Hiccup quipped, Toothless jumping a bit and looking at Hiccup unamusingly, with fish still sticking out of his mouth, to which the young chief laughed at. Toothless quickly swallowed the fish, Hiccup walking up to him.

"Ok, bud. Riley is standing near the entrance of the cavern. She's still pretty timid, so just try and be really calm around her, got it?" Hiccup asked his night fury friend. Toothless nodded and walked over closer to the cavern entrance, with Hiccup walking past him. Soon, he found Riley, siting against the cavern walls, waiting for Hiccup.

"Ok Riley, are you ready?" Hiccup asked the little girl. Riley took a few deep breaths before nodding. "I'm ready. Just don't leave me please." She responded. Hiccup took her hand and replied back saying "Never." Soon, the two began to walk forward soon, Riley came face to face with Toothless. Hiccup could feel her tense up a little, so he kneeled down next to her.

"Don't worry. There's no need to be afraid. He won't hurt you. Look at him." Hiccup then gestured to his night fury friend, whose eyes are dilated and teeth retracted, forming a tiny smirk on his scaly face. "Does he really look that scary?" Hiccup queried. Riley looked at the night fury and calmed down at the sight of the night fury's grin.

"Not really." Riley responded, still little nervous. "What's his name?" she asked. Toothless slightly tilted his head, and then gave the girl a gummy grin, while Hiccup stayed silent, letting the dragon introduce himself. "Gummy?" she asked, to which Toothless shook his head. Riley then thought it over for a few seconds and came up with another name. "Toothless?" she asked again, to which the dragon purred and slowly nodded his head. Riley smiled a tiny bit at that, only for the smile to go away as Toothless began walking towards her. She immediately tensed up and tightened her hold on Hiccup's hand. Taking notice, he turned towards her.

"It's ok, don't be afraid. He probably just wants to sniff the bandages." Hiccup told Riley. She only calmed down slightly as Toothless got closer and closer, until he was right in front of her and just as Hiccup predicted, he took a few whiffs of the bandages. After a few seconds of sniffing the bandaged arms and legs, he gave her a sad sounding warble, as well as looking at her with saddened eyes.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" Riley asked in a curious tone. Hiccup took notice and replied, "I think it's because he smelled the blood behind those bandages. He probably also smelled the scent of the dragons that hurt you on the ship, and so I'm guessing he's saying he's sorry for what happened to you."

Riley looked at Toothless and said, "It's ok, Toothless." The dragons face turned happier after hearing her saying those words. Now, he is standing a few feet away from Riley. Suddenly, as if by curiosity, instinct, or both, Riley lifted her hand and brought it closer to the night fury. Watching him approach her outreached hand made it shake with nervousness, but Hiccup brought his hand on top of hers.

"It's ok, there is nothing to be afraid of. Trust me." He said to Riley. Riley took in those words and her hands stopped shaking, but kept her eyes closed. As soon as her hand stopped shaking, she felt something pressed against it. Something smooth, yet scaly. She opened her eyes and saw something she would never see. Toothless was pressing his snout against her hand, with his eyes closed. After a few seconds, Toothless backed up and kept his eyes dilated, with a huge gummy smile on his face, making Riley laugh for a few seconds. However, her smile faded when she realized her surroundings.

She took a glance out of Toothless' room, and noticed all the other dragons in the hanger. She heard the familiar squawks and growls from dragons that hurt her in the torture room. She began to breath fast and Hiccup took notice. "Hey Riley." He said, gently wrapping his arms around her. "Breath slowly, you're safe with us. Those other dragons won't hurt you." Despite Hiccup's attempts, although it worked slightly, she was still breathing fast. Suddenly they both feel something on their backs. They turn and found Toothless' tail pressed against their backs. The night fury used his tail to bring the two close to him, then he wrapped his wings around both, as if to say, 'focus on me'. It did the trick, as Hiccup let go of his embrace with Riley and the girl looked in wonder at the Night Fury. "Why is he doing this?" She asked Hiccup.

"It's because you bonded with him." He responded. "When you pressed your hand against his snout, you two formed a bond. Now, he's doing this to protect you and keep you safe. It's his instinct."

Riley the turned back to Toothless, who was now looking at the girl. She slowly approached him on her own, and then, pressed her forehead against his snout.

"Thank you, Toothless." Riley said softly. Toothless slightly pressed against her forehead and let out a happy purr, with Hiccup smiling behind them. 'Step one of Hiccups master plan to cure Riley of Dracophobia complete.' He thought to himself, as said girl was now sitting next to Toothless, who has now unwrapped his wings, and placed his head on her lap, to which the girl happily rubbed and scratched.

 **Awwww, Riley has a new friend! Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Now comes the tough part for Riley: Getting along with the other dragons. Will she be able to get along with the dragons of the same species that has tortured her for two weeks? Find out soon! Be sure to review, they are greatly appreciated!**


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